All Forum Posts by: Sam Leon

"I have a full time job and have been too busy to pay rent".

"I thought rent is not due for another month, didn't I just pay last month"?

"I didn't pay because I was waiting for you to ask me so we can have this conversation to explore the possibility of rent to own".

"I tried numerous times to pay, and Zelle won't let me" (this is after he paid successfully via ZellePay several times prior).

"I was out of town and I know you were out of town, I'd figured this can wait till we are both in town".

I also think of property locations and property conditions having different classifications.  In some older neighborhoods especially historic districts, the tenants look for older houses - they preferred the art deco bathroom tiles, the thick plaster & lath walls over granite countertops and stainless steel appliances.

but class D neighborhoods are easiest to tell.  If you enter a neighborhood and you immediately lock all doors from the inside, and check to make sure your gun is loaded, you are in class D no doubt.

On the other hand, most class A+ neighborhoods as you drive through you cannot see the houses from the street.  The house is set way back at the end of a long winding driveway, the front is fully fenced for maximum privacy.  Occasionally through binoculars you may catch a glimpse of someone sitting on a porch, sipping a glass of mint julep, holding the glass with a white gloved hand with the pinky finger sticking up.

Don't know if this really works or not, but it seems to fit what you are asking for.  It's hardwired, so it can't be disabled easily (unless they turn the breaker off), it can be fitted with a tamper proof cage, and it can play custom messages "YOU HAVE BEEN CAUGHT SMOKING, OUR STAFF HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED, YOU HAVE 2 HOURS TO PACK YOUR BAGS!!!".

http://www.smokersensor.com/

A nicotine test from the wall has it's problems too.  A tenant intent on cheating would just question the method and application on it's use.  They would either claim whatever you detected on the wall was there before they moved in, something left by the last tenant.  Unless you completely repainted the walls and ceilings, and replaced all carpets and draperies. they will just say it's not from them unless you can show an identical test result claiming that spot tested negative when they moved in.

Or, they will just say they did smoke, outside the building, at work, or in their vehicles.  They didn't violate the non smoking clause, but the stuff clings to their clothing and hair.  So they may have leaned on the walls, sat on the floor and transferred things when they did so.  Is there any rules against leaning on a wall?

I see someone intentionally cheating and denying he/she smoked a difficult thing to pin down.  May be more likely to also ask neighbors who complained to help with the enforcement.

I have a multi unit building and in one of the apartments that I am turning over the range would not back all the way to the wall.  Turned out the electrical box is about 1.5" too high for the range bottom recess for the bulky plug.

Lowering the receptacle box is possible, but involve quite a bit of work because it's an older building, I have to open up thick plastered wall, the receptacle which is a 4-11/16" box mounted on top of a 1" EMT conduit coming up through the concrete slab at the end of a 90 degree bend with #6 conductors inside that I can't seem to pull or push.

What do you think?  Would you just leave it like that and call it a day, or would you do the extra work to get it to push all the way in?  Or would you wait till it's occupied and see if the tenant complains?

From a practical stand point I could see where some like to put salt pepper spice on top but obviously it won't work because it will just keep falling off to the back.

It's a A- property in an A+ location.

Well that reminds me of a tenant I had several years ago.  I rented to a divorced husband whose daughter came around two days every week.  Ex wife and daughter stayed at their house.

Tenant reported broken window.  Absolutely no idea how window glass was broken.  Came home one day and broken glass.  I couldn't figure out how it happened and thought may be the lawn service crew while mowing the grass kicked up a pebble and thrown a projectile towards the window...possible.

So I got a window glass company there to repair it.  While there the daughter came to his place while Dad was still at work.  The daughter apologized to me for breaking the window.  She told her dad she broke it before he told me.  Yet her dad lied to me.

Technically anything that requires a tool to install or remove is a fixture.

Even something as simple as a screwdriver.

In my lease I allow tenants to go crazy on hanging pictures, drape rods, tapestry, wall hooks etc etc etc...I will not charge them when they move out as long as holes are < 1/4".  Drywall repairs is quick and easy and touch up painting is to be expected.  Now if they use a toggle bolt that''s impossible to remove without enlarging the hole to 1/2" then yes, I would charge those as damages.

Exterior concrete walls I do not allow installation of anything without prior written approval.

From a landlord's perspective, I would recommend the tenant get this dog.

Model:B9108 SKU:6315620

Best Buy has it for $119.99.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/joy-for-all-companion-pet-pup-golden/6315620.p?skuId=6315620&ref=212&loc=1&ref=212&loc=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwoKzsBRC5ARIsAITcwXFnuOhnzI-lnMFUTyoBHWWmCMZYvWGyp_4Hm4EcS00OdRV4K5JJOGwaAsllEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Roommate 1 asking you to allow them to pay partial rent due to non-use is unreasonable.  If the roommate is a traveling salesman and only use the property on weekends, do they expect you to charge only 2 days out of 7 every week?  The room is occupied with their possessions correct?  So it's occupied period.  The only time I have reimbursed tenants for non-use is because I require their absence for some remedial action, such as when I had to fumigate a building for termites, and coordinated for all tenants to leave for 48 hours and I reimbursed them for the non-use as written in the lease a daily rate for such situations.

Roommate 1 and 2 need to be part of the solution to make this work, with your help.  Since you are also living there and occupying one of the bedrooms, do you have a good idea which roommate is more trouble then it's worth?

Also curious, you indicated roommate 1 is a single occupant, yet your used the pronoun "They" over and over again in referring to roommate 1.  Does it mean roommate 1 is a non-binary sex person?  I know a non-binary is supposed to be referred to as "they" when being addressed but have never bumped into one.

Lots of questions.

Are they intending to take the DW with them when they move out, or are they leaving that to you?  Who owns the DW once it's in place?

Who will do the install?  You or the tenant?  There is a hot water supply connection, a drain hose connection to the sink cabinet either to the branch of the sink tailpiece or the disposer, it may involve doing at least a high loop or better with an air gap.  There is also an electrical connection hardwired or plugged.  It's not a difficult task but not something you want someone unexperienced to do and assume the liability if something leaks later.

Who will maintain/repair the DW once it's installed?  If it doesn't work does your tenant call you to report the issue or does he call for service?  Since the service warranty is most likely in his name.

Do you then have to go remove the old DW, transport it somewhere for storage or will you dispose of it?

Cannot charge any pet rent, pet fee, pet deposits.  An ESA is not a pet.

Sadly, many ESAs are indeed pets in disguise, totally unfair to people with real mental conditions.

Verifying some who claims to have an ESA is a challenge we all face from time to time and we are handcuffed by the law with so many loop holes.